This month's theme for The Challenge is Wild Wild West. Now my new Lion skirt from Ducknipple (color change hud) isn't really western, but oh so cute. I added some older accessories to fit within the theme.

From Sway's is the super nice [Tuari] bench. There are three colors to choose from and I am guessing you could hang your hat on that branch *wink*.

And if you really want to get into the role play, [hate this] has a whole store! It comes with many of the accessories shown including trough, ladder and barrels. There is big counter (optional) for inside as well as tall bookcase style shelves. It even comes with the sign texture so you can add your own store name. This would make a great shop in a themed area!

In truth this post has nothing to do with food. Well, there are some squash growing (unseasonably) in the garden above, but really -- food is not the theme.

I seem to be in philosophical mode this eve, but let's get to the important stuff first.

* MINA Tabita hair for The Dressing Room - two huds to choose from, Ombres 1.0 and Essentials
* New fun Graphic Tanks from CARGO in various prints and colorpacks.
* Super cute lovebirds garden stake from Sway's on Fifty Linden Friday. A birdbath is also available.

Fitting RIGHT in with my color scheme (nope, I did not plan that) puzzle sets (both in the box and out for puzzling) from Second Spaces on a Fifty Linden Friday deal. Immensely fun!

And NOW the philosophy.

Dressed and in the garden I found myself extremely grateful that I have LEA7 for all my photo shoot needs. Knowing where all the locales are helps of course, but there is almost always an appropriate backdrop. This makes my very busy these days life easy. There IS that "never gets out" thing to contend with but I am going to ignore that.

The other thought that crossed my mind as I was attempting to do a quick post (didn't actually turn out that way, but hey) was that there are only a handful of poses that I know by name. Now, many of my poses are in sets and have numbers - so there is that. The ones I remember are mostly all old (very) and no longer available. Most are from Long Awkward Pose, some from Vain; both VERY vintage.

Now not all of those poses are perfect. There are some glitches here and there. Still they have a history; it is my history. I remember getting them (often in hunts); I remember using them in my early out of the pod days. There is a nostalgia there and I doubt I will ever give them up.

Pose Fair is on the horizon next month. I signed up as a blogger but you never know if you will be accepted. And contrary to what some believe I do NOT get into everything I apply for *wink*. But either way I will still journey over. I have made poses in the past and still do on another grid. I appreciate the work it involves; I enjoy the process of making as well as using. We can't be very photogenic with our default stances. Oh my! That would be really, really bad.

What I really wanted to do for this week's meme was film a slow dance sequence in this location. I left myself here yesterday after a long morning of filming. Dreamy depth of field and low contrast saturation -- you get the idea.

But "I don't dance". Not in virtual land anyway. There were times long ago when I did, but these days I am creating or caretaking or blogging and as it has been confirmed in previous memes, I don't get out much *wink*.

So imagine what I wanted to do had I a dance that would have been appropriate for both theme and long vintage dress (BAIASTICE).

Instead, here is my ONE dance video taken for Pose Fair 2013 a year ago. Credits for dances are at the end of the video; music credits and other info in the YouTube page. It was fun to do.

I have lost this post TWICE now during the writing -- including after I published it. Blogger is not a happy camper today.

So I am leaving this here. I do use FRAPS to record and Corel Video Studio Pro to edit with.

Unveiled to the press at the end of the month with two premiers April 5th and 6th; tickets will be available at this Marketplace link.

A
gorgeous venue, admission price include costumes (mandatory) for the
audience. Devil or angel? Hmmmmm. It will definitely be something
special.

I will be reporting of course, telling tales
with pretty pictures. There is also a hunt and I promise to let you know
when "I" know.

Adam

Eve

Sin

Satan

Lust

The Serpent

Archangel Michael

14 Scenes

43 Roles

8 players

55 minutes

3 months to produce

±600 hours in development

a production budget of a quarter of a million linden dollars

Other interesting bits of info found in the press kit tell me that 50% of all tickets, tips, donations and sponsorships will go to help fund the adoption of Ihoho, a baby Mountain Gorilla in Rwanda, through the WWF Adopt-a-Gorilla Program.

This ][PULL ][ Snow Dress for The Feeling comes in three color combos (all black, all white, and a mix). It also comes in both standard sizing and fitted mesh.

That makes me happy for two reasons; a pretty picture and a segue into something I have written about on the forums a time or two -- fitted mesh.

There was a huge contingent of folks wanting (and contributing to) the Mesh Deformer Project. That died primarily because The Lab didn't want to play with the other kids on the block -- and it turned out that was because they had there own project going on.

We now have fitted mesh.

Well we have it if we are using the latest viewer. If we don't it is VERY VERY ugly out there. Remember when mesh first came to the grid a few years ago? We had invisible sections of people and colored blobs for those without a mesh viewer. This is so much worse; oh my!

Aside from that issue there is that extra layer of air that seems to be inherent in fitted mesh (all types, not just this grid although Cloud Party did an excellent job (different platform altogether) ). Put it on and gain twenty pounds. That isn't good for those of us that have our virtual body image fixed snugly in our memory banks.

It is OK to be plump, thick waisted, rotund -- whatever -- if that is your PLAN. It is another thing if you see yourself as a svelte fashionista and suddenly find yourself dumpy.

It is going to take me long while to get into the fitted mesh camp. I have so many designers that seem to make clothes "just for me" in that "nothing comes between me and my Calvin's" mode "wink". I don't want to give that up.

I see so many comments on the mesh forum from designers struggling with the new fitted mesh. These aren't new kids on the block; they are long time mesh clothing makers who have years of experience under their belts. I am very glad that clothes design was not my calling. I would no doubt be bald by now from hair pulling.

So, as in this release from ][PULL ][ it is my hope that designers will keep the standard sizing model and perhaps add fitted mesh for those folks that actually need it. And if they feel standard sizing is good enough and don't want to learn the new stuff? That's really OK with me too.

Sometimes we wish for things and when we get them they just aren't a great as what we expected.

My lead photo isn't actually about the festival. The Airship Pilot's Navigational Mask is a great find from Spyralle on the Steam Hunt; my eyes a brand new release from Real Eyes, Ghost Sepia (texture eyes). You can find them here; lots of versions to choose from. Some are quite spooky :D.

Back to the festival.

This is an ultra rare watch necklace from Eclectica, one of a huge collection of both necklaces and watch fobs (two separate machines). All are lovely; this is my favorite. Mechanika comes in many variations as gachas will. The really good news is that if you aren't a gambling gal, you can purchase this at the shop after the festival is over. Oh yes!

It was inventory straightened day; a good thing as the virtual clutter was definitely messing up the feng shui in that viewer pane *wink*.

This is not a post about wonderful old things found. I didn't get into my cobweb ridden areas. These are just things that I came across in the depths of my OBJECTS folder (oh my!).

First up a cute dress with belt (strappy heels are included too in black and gold) from ArisAris, the Enliven outfit. The non-rigged belt comes with a resizer to let you adjust both size and shape (x axis - y axis etc.). This is the first time I can remember needing to do that, but it worked nicely as you can see. Always good to have new skills.

My hair with hat is from MINA for Oneword. Now thank goodness for the designers in venues. If not for them -- and especially the ones that send landmarks (THANK YOU!) I would be very out of the loop. I zipped over to Oneword to find this rounds word is "tragedy". So a befitting design that will go in my "hair with hats" folder for safe keeping.

I love hair with hats AND retro. This is super cute in back too with a little bun going on. Color hud of course.

Now one thing in this post that wasn't lost amidst the ever multiplying dust bunnies, is the release from Barnesworth Anubis for TLC - The Garden for March. We all ready know the theme features sleek and stylishly modern. This fits the bill nicely.

It is a lovely design and VERY open. The fireplace in the lead shot is in a wall that bisects (more or less) the single room at a diagonal. There is a semi-private alcove to the side. Bedroom, bath, office? This is most certainly a multipurpose structure. It would make a very nice shop or business and is suited for many terrain types - beach, forest etc.

One thing I forgot to mention on my last [BA] post is that the builds now come with TEXTURES. So you can easily add coordinating walls, vendors, cabinets -- whatever you need.

I was invited to a photo session this last Sunday. It ended up at my place since I had an underwater grotto and the theme was MERFOLK. Much of the event centered around Genre and the watery theme for this round. Lots of folks showed up in deviousMind's new outfit (very impressive). I wore older garb as did a few others.

But timing is everything and happily I can show you this lovely necklace from the event. Beautifully made, the Eclectica Octopus Neckpiece comes in various stones as well as sizes for both gals and guys. I picked coral to coordinate with my outfit.

The detailing is absolutely gorgeous.

My hair in coordinating salmon tones is a brand new release from eXxEsS, Marzanna. Perfect for the outfit, it does come in more natural tones too -- via huds.

Poses by: aDORKable, Duchess Flux and tons of other great pose makers on various poseballs in the gang

Shown here, just part of the crew. There were actually ten folks at one time but that was really difficult to get a photo and see anything but tales *wink*.

There are time when only quiet will do. Alone with our thoughts we are free to journey to places we may never visit, plan battles we will never fight, and kiss a soulmate we will never meet.

Max is wearing a new release from Ducknipple, Marcel. Both jacket and under sweater are color change by hud. Shirt is tintable.

Details tell the story. The extremely impressive chess set and book stacks (two stacks; one set on its side) are from {theosophy}. Books are my favorite decorating prop, followed closely behind by plants and then packing boxes (not sure about that last one but I seem to feel that shipping containers symbolize possibilities). I never really played chess but I love the look and the idea that I am SMART enough to play and perhaps win.

Also new is this [Crown Cap] bar table and stool set from Sway's. Stools come in various color combos to coordinate with your style. The animations are especially nice and realistic.

The new round of The Garden (The Liaison Collaborative) opened on the 15th of March at the NEW Fall sim location.

I of course am in a stylistic heaven as this theme fits my temperament to a "T". The lines are clean and simple and modern.

This is the Neoteric house from Trompe Loeil. Lots and lots of glass and an open plan with many nooks and dividers, the shadows are glorious. This would also make a nice small shop. A BIG covered patio is in back and a waterfall and pool at the entry. Designed for a 1024 or larger lot, you "could" squeeze it into a 512 if your neighbors don't mind the roof overhang (or you are up in the sky). I enlarged the building just a tad to make navigation a bit easier.

I should also say that the house is actually symmetrical. My attempt here was to give you a feel for the loftiness of the expansive roof-line. The dark baked textures are extremely sophisticated.

If you are more into privacy then the {what next} Studio Apartment Skybox might be more your style. The footprint and land impact are similar to the Neoteric but the feel completely different. So many choices.

There are options of photo vista, clouds or clear windows by menu as well as some inset lighting and white brick alcove. Tons of little details and a built in window seat make this a homey spot with lots of decorating possibilities.

Whichever home is more 'you', the Atelier Visconti Vincent set will look smashing. A mix of modern lines and old world charm, both couch and rug come with color huds. My favorite piece of the set is the vase and flowers. The wall art is also smashing! Textures are glorious.

So be sure and check out all the newness (and the new sim); I will certainly be heading over there soon!

One more pretty picture. If you are in the long and full hair camp, there is a new designer you might want to check out. This is the Jena style from SaltGrass. Colors by hud, you can find demos on the Marketplacefor easy shopping.

Unless you are hiding from the world (an option certainly) you know that Skin Fair is going on.

I am not a skin ho; I live in the same skin except for specialty posts or filming for months (even years) before switching. It was getting close to "upgrade" time for me though as Skin Fair opened. So I was looking for

a. good stuff to show you
b. a new skin that fit both my face and temperament

Going through the offerings with that "need to be me" criteria is something I seldom do. Certainly, I noted the great new skins that are out there including some male skins I really love. I tried on tons of skins; was getting both confused and bleary.

Obviously I wanted quality skin with no seams (happily I didn't find one in my demos - yeah) or oddly shaded areas (a few of those). Some seemingly lovely skins on the posters simply didn't fit -- nose and mouth were both issues for me. A few were kind of fuzzy in the shading area, more contrast was needed in my opinion.

As day three of try-ons came and went I noticed that I was no longer enthused. In fact, I was stress. That unusual to me sensation got me thinking (well of course it did) about body image and who we perceive ourselves to be.

We can be anyone in our virtual world.

Oh, wait -- we can be anyone we want to be if we can find our VISION in texture (and sometimes mesh) form. But what happens when our ideals are out of reach?

In the real world we diet, go to the gym, slather with under eye cream. We add makeup and curl or perm our hair; we pluck and shave and moisturize. We don't have to do that in virtual land, but we do need to shop - LOL.

It dawned on me during my frantic mode that I lived in my original (free as it were) skin for well over a year -- maybe two; I would have to research that and it really doesn't matter. If there isn't a better version of "you" out there who is to say you aren't perfect as you are?

Hard to believe but it is already mid month. You know what that means? All those places that were beyond crowded and dare I say it, "gray" are accessible now. Yeah!

Aside from The Arcade and COLLABOR88, there is FaMESHed where you can see this great outdoor set from Cheeky Pea, Salcombe.

Somewhere between a garden shed and home, this open air gazebo is very inviting.

One of my favorite parts is this sink, and of course the plant in the background as I LOVE plants. Very few folks will care but the bolts that hold the structure together are terrific. I know, only another mesh person would care so much -- what can I say.

It reminds us that for those of us in the Northern climes -- Spring is on our doorstep. That is a VERY good thing.

I am SO VERY ready for Spring. Happily the sun is out as I type and tomorrow promises to be a spectacular RL day! Time for digging in the dirt, pruning (did that already) and planting (not quite yet). In our virtual lands we can garden any time of course, but somehow most of us keep to our corporeal seasons.

This apron is SO cute! It comes with short shorts and includes a leg wrap to match the arm wrap. The garden plants and tools coordinate. Both are from Sweet Lies. This would look cute and casual over some white jeans.

This bountiful forklift weighs in at only 14 land impact and comes packed full of animations. Fashiowl is the maker. There is also a fun red wagon -- again with goodies and with animations for parent and child.

And for you gatcha folks -- yep they are there. I'll be posting more soon, but you really want to head on over and see for yourself.

Leaving myself at the Skin Fair sims, I logged in to find an old friend in the "nearby" window. I don't check that regularly, but I often find it open when I am going to another window. So a fun surprise and we caught up. It is Wednesday as I type this; neither of us have found "the new skin" as yet. I may be the current me for awhile longer. That's not a bad thing.

I do however have some great new hair. Big in back, more sedate in front and definitely long and flowing. The textures are of course gorgeous. It is PERPERUNA from eXxEsS.